


it will not be simple, it will not take long

by webofdreams89



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison is a Trekkie, Alternate Universe, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Lydia thinks its adorable, One Night Stands, author playing fast and loose with time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-18 18:59:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4716920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/webofdreams89/pseuds/webofdreams89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I know for a fact that Danny’s pool house isn’t locked right now.”</p><p>The girl’s eyebrows knitted together briefly before her face smoothed out into a smile.  “That your way of asking me to go with you?”</p><p>Lydia just gave the girl her slightly patronizing smile and took off toward the pool house.  She could hear the girl follow her.</p><p>--</p><p>Or the one where Allison and Lydia have a one night stand and then feelings happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it will not be simple, it will not take long

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stilinskis (MollyHime)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollyHime/gifts).



> This story was difficult for me to finish and I don't even know why. I play fast and loose with time and how long it genuinely takes to watch all of Star Trek. So sue me. 
> 
> The title comes from Adrienne Rich's "Final Notions"

It was two days before graduation and Lydia was at one of Danny’s “small, intimate gatherings” that always end up ragers by the end of the night.  She sipped a mixed drink she made herself and was mostly content to listen to the few close friends she’s accumulated over the last year or so talk happily about whatever it is they’re drunkenly talking about.  Nonsense mostly. 

She tossed in an affirmation here and there so they couldn’t accuse her of being totally inattentive, but not enough so that they’d actually try to draw her into the conversation.

That wasn’t to say that Lydia was uncaring.  She loved her friends in her own odd way.  Scott with his puppy smile, Stiles with his motor mouth, Kira with her sweet clumsiness.  Isaac and Cora were brash and sarcastic in a way Lydia (almost but not quite) begrudgingly admired.  Erica was gorgeous and sharp like barbed wire, Boyd quiet and unrelenting.  Even Malia’s sometimes embarrassing lack of filter was enough to make Lydia smile.

They weren’t people she would have been caught dead hanging out with when she’d started high school, but she’d grown up a lot since then, expanded her horizons like her mom, ever the teacher, always told her to do.

She felt weird that night though, content to mostly listen, not sure if it was the booze or her looming graduation.  Something just felt off, a little out of whack, and it was making her introspective in a way she hadn’t been since her dad left.

Scott mentioned something about an old friend of his coming back to town, but Lydia wasn’t too interested.  Especially if this friend was anything like the last friend of Scott’s that came to town.  Leo or Theo or whatever his name was.  Total nightmare.

Claiming to need a drink refill, Lydia slipped away while Stiles told some story or another from his childhood that put a smile on Scott’s and had Isaac angrily chugging the rest of his beer from Scott’s other side.  Kira and Malia had been making out for the last ten minutes so Lydia doubted they’d really miss her all the much anyway.

Danny stopped her on the way to the kitchen, pressing a kiss to her cheek and telling her she looked great.  She returned his smile, returned the compliment, and made her way to the kitchen. 

She liked Danny a lot, wished they hung out more, especially after the way they’d initially clung together after Jackson first left Beacon Hills.  But maybe a little distance from the past was what they’d both needed to move on. 

Lydia mixed her drink, more vodka this time than anything else, and slipped out the back door.  It was quiet outside and characteristically cold for a Northern California spring night.  Cold enough that everyone seemed to have stayed indoors.  Lydia wouldn’t get this moment of quiet at Danny’s parties a month from now.

She leaned against the railing of the back porch and stared out into the night.  Danny’s backyard looked a lot like the one Lydia had growing up.  Before her dad took his bank account to spend on a newer, younger family.  Couldn’t continue living in a McMansion on her mom’s teacher salary. 

A scrap of feet to Lydia’s right made her draw in a breath, the cold air sharp in her lungs.  Lydia turned and saw a girl standing there, a wince marring her face.

“Sorry!” the girl said quickly, nose scrunched up cutely.  “I didn’t want you to look over and get scared seeing me there.  But I looks like I startled you anyway.”

“A little,” Lydia gave her, heart still beating hard.

“I really am sorry,” the girl said again, taking a step closer.  Her hands were both drawn up.

“Okay,” Lydia said, looking the girl over.  She really was lovely with her square jaw and dark hair, lips painted a pretty berry.  She was taller than Lydia by several inches, forced Lydia to look up even from several feet away. 

The silence between them stretched until Lydia grew uncomfortable and huffed, asking, “So what are you doing out here anyway?”

The girl’s nose scrunched up again and moved to lean against the railing a few feet from Lydia.  “My friend invited me here, but I realized I wasn’t feeling up to socializing as soon as I walked in the door.  So I snuck out here.  Which, yeah, kind of looks like you did too.”

“Maybe,” Lydia snipped, taking a sip of her mostly-vodka and staring out at the yard again. 

She knew she shouldn’t feel defensive for bailing on her friends when she needed a moment to herself, but she did anyway.  She just didn’t need total strangers to point it out for her.

The girls seemed a little guilty, looked like she was about to apologize.  Lydia didn’t need that, didn’t want it, so she turned back to the girl and said, “I know for a fact that Danny’s pool house isn’t locked right now.”

The girl’s eyebrows knitted together briefly before her face smoothed out into a smile.  “That your way of asking me to go with you?”

Lydia just gave the girl her slightly patronizing smile and took off toward the pool house.  She could hear the girl follow her.

As predicted, the pool house was unlocked and Lydia slipped inside.  It was dark, even darker when the girl shut the door behind her and took a step toward Lydia, letting a hand settle on Lydia’s hip.

“Is this what you wanted?” she asked.

Lydia could feel her heart begin to beat hard again.  She dragged in a breath that would be embarrassing under any other circumstance and pressed her body to the girl’s.  The girl groaned prettily when she felt Lydia’s breasts press into the underside of her own, fingers tightening on Lydia’s hip.

“This is exactly what I wanted,” Lydia said in voice she knew to be husky enough to be sexy.  The girl must have agreed because she hummed in approval and pressed her lips to Lydia’s.

Their kiss was soft, a butterfly of feeling, but it was nice.  Lydia couldn’t remember the last time someone kissed her gentle like that.  Maybe never. 

She liked it, but she liked it better when she wrapped her arms around the girl’s body and pulled her hard against her body.  The girl gasped in Lydia’s mouth and kissed her harder, mouth open and slick.  Lydia felt the little bite of teeth and shuddered.  God, she was getting so wet from this total stranger in Danny’s pool house and it was by far the hottest thing she’d ever done.

Thumbs slipping up Lydia’s shirt to caress her stomach, the girl pressed kisses behind Lydia’s ear, sucked long and hard on her neck.  Lydia moaned, head thrown back, and cupped the girl’s ass hard, grinding their hips together for that sweet bit of friction.  The girl must have liked it because she pulled back enough to bite at her lip, then smile down at Lydia.

“This is all okay?” she asked, still running her fingers over Lydia’s sides and making her skin light up and her nipples hard.

“More than,” Lydia replied, looking back.  “Okay with you?”

“More than,” the girl parroted, her grin widening before she leaned back down for another kiss. 

“Please,” Lydia said when the girl’s fingers hesitated at the band of her skirt.  She grabbed her hand and slipped it down, biting her lip when the girl stroked her through her underwear.

She had to know how wet Lydia was by that point, had to be able to feel it even through the fabric.

“Oh God,” she moaned when the girl’s hand slipped down the front of her underwear too, brushing teasingly against her clit and rubbing at the slick pool underneath.  She circled the opening of her vagina a few times before she slid two fingers inside and Lydia felt something inside her come a little loose. 

She grinded down onto the girl’s fingers, rode them while she held onto her for support, murmuring pleas into her neck.  Lydia bit down a little at the flesh there and it spurred the girl on, made her thrust a little faster, a little harder.  Her thumb, slick from sweeping briefly inside Lydia, padded at her clit and it was all Lydia could do to hang on.

“I really wanted to draw this out,” the girl said, voice just raw, “but I don’t think I can right now.”

“So don’t,” Lydia rasped, slipping one hand down the back of the girl’s pants and really grasping her ass.

“Fuck,” the girl moaned, moving her hand faster.

It didn’t take much more before Lydia felt everything all come together, to crest.  She clenched around the girl’s fingers, her body pulsing and blacking as she came.  The girl stroked her through it, continued touching her even after Lydia’s come down a little and just stood there panting against the girl’s neck.

Finally, she pulled back far enough so she could see the girl’s face.  Her eyes were too dark to be able to tell if her pupils were blown or not, but the way she gnawed at her bottom lip was enough of an indication for Lydia just how far gone the girl was.

Smirking, Lydia said, “I want to get you on your back, spread your legs open wide for me, and eat your pussy until you can’t think about anything other than how good it feels.”

“Fuck,” the girl murmured again, breath ragged.  “Oh fuck.” 

Her legs wobbled a little and Lydia helped her over to the old couch that used to belong to Danny’s grandma that no one could bring themselves to throw away.  She’d apologize, but she was pretty sure just about every teenager in Beacon Hills had at least made out on it at one point or another.

The girl laid down on her back, her legs open wide, and pulled Lydia down on top of her.  They kissed hard for a moment, Lydia rutting her hips down enough to make the girl whimper before she pushed up her shirt and bra and drew a nipple into her mouth, sucking on it until the girl’s legs tightened almost painfully around Lydia’s middle. 

Almost cruelly, Lydia flicked it with her fingers before she continued her way down the girl’s body, kissing and biting and sucking.  When she reached the girl’s skirt, Lydia flipped it up and licked one long stripe through her underwear before she took them off, balled them up, and dove in.

She was barely through kissing the girl’s inner thighs and teasing her when Lydia heard the door to the pool house bang open, followed by giggling. 

“Shit!” the girl squawked, pulling her skirt down and nearly knocking Lydia off the couch in her haste.

Lydia looked over at the door and saw Malia and Kira, arms still wrapped around each other and both wearing twin surprised looks. 

“Sorry, Lydia!” Kira said, eyes widening and darting between Lydia and the girl.  She grabbed Malia’s hand and tried to drag her back out.

“Hot damn, Martin,” Malia shouted.  It seemed to be enough to jar the girl into action. 

She stood and was out the door before Lydia could even wrap her head around what happened. 

“Malia!” Kira admonished.  “You scared her away!”

“I did not!” Malia said, while Lydia sat there, still stunned but coming down from the rush of sex.  Absently, she wiped the back of her hand over her mouth.

“Yes you did.  You embarrassed her!”

“Not my fault she’s a prude,” Malia mumbled.

“Do you want us to help you find her?” Kira asked.  Even in the dark, Lydia could see that she looked concerned.

Feeling at a loss seemed to have become a pattern for Lydia. 

After a moment, she shook her head.  She stayed in the pool house after Kira and Malia finally leave, perhaps naively hoping the girl would come back once the coast was clear.  After fifteen minutes, Lydia knew she wasn’t going to see her again and left. 

Her mom’s house was a fifteen minute walk from Danny’s house so she bypassed the party that was finally beginning to take off and just headed home.  Halfway home, Lydia realized that she still had the girl’s panties balled up in her hand and dropped them into a garbage can.

*

Saturday was a quiet day spent at home with her mom. School was out, but it was technically her last day of being a high school student and her mom was a little emotional about it.  It gave Lydia time to catch up on some reading and then she and her mom watched a few movies in the evening.  Lydia went to bed early but had trouble falling asleep.

The night before, she’d face planted in bed and was asleep within moments, but tonight her mind wouldn’t quiet.  She thought about graduation in the morning, about starting her new job on Monday, about school in the fall.  And she thought about that breathtaking girl from Danny’s party, the girl she didn’t even get the name of before she’d taken off.  Both Kira and Malia, who probably only did it at Kira’s prodding, sent her apology texts. 

Honestly, Lydia wasn’t really mad at them.  She couldn’t fault them for wanting a little alone time together when there hadn’t been much of it lately with final projects and exams.  She was just upset that she didn’t get the girl’s phone number before they parted ways. 

For all Lydia knew, the girl wanted it that way.  Anonymous. 

And if that was the case, Lydia could respect that.  It would suck a little because Lydia hadn’t felt connected to someone like that in a long time, maybe ever, but she’d get over it.  She just wished she knew for sure.  It would be easier getting over the encounter that way, get over the girl’s small smile and the way she looked when Lydia touched her.  And yeah, Lydia could admit that she was horny and kind of wished it would happen again. 

*

Graduation was at noon, but Lydia was awake hours beforehand, awake even before her mom.  She’d agreed to meet up with her friends for pastries and coffee at the local coffee shop they hung out at, piling into cracked leather chairs like they did a couple of times every week. 

She left her cap and gown in her car and headed inside.  She was early like she usually was and ordered a cappuccino chocolate chip muffin and the house blend, carefully nibbling the muffin so she didn’t get crumbs over her dress while she waited.  Cora, Erica, and Boyd strolled in a few minutes later, followed by Malia and Kira not even two minutes later. 

Malia threw herself down into the empty seat to Lydia’s left and thrummed with energy, trying hard not to burst.  Looking down at her nails, Lydia patiently waited until her friend snapped and blurted out why she’d clearly been dying to say for the last thirty-six hours.

Kira must have sensed it too because her eyes widened and she said, “Malia, no!”

Malia’s face cracked.  “I didn’t know you liked girls, Lydia.” 

Kira sighed, cradling her forehead in her hands.  “You can’t just out people like that, Malia.  Even to other friends.”

Lydia took it in stride even though she was still a little unsettled about the whole thing in a way.  Smiling curtly, Lydia said, “Well, I’m not in the closet so you’re fine.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” Kira mumbled to her girlfriend.

“You didn’t know?” Erica said, leaning forward, mouth widening in a wicked smile.  “Lydia and I used to have hate sex with each other.”

“What did I just walk in on?” Stiles said, grabbing an empty seat and pulling it up to the group.  Scott sat down between his best friend and Isaac, ever the peacemaker. 

“Lesbian drama,” Cora said with a shrug like she was above such things.  She was the only lesbian in the group.  Lydia rolled her eyes.

They killed time sipping coffee and stuffing themselves on pastries until they had to be at the high school. 

The graduation ceremony itself was long, dry, boring.  Pretty much the way Lydia expected it to be.  She gave her valedictorian speech and saw her mom, grandma, and grandma’s longtime girlfriend wiping tears from their eyes and it took Lydia a moment to steady herself because them being proud of her alone was worth her dad not showing up, for ignoring her phone calls and letters lately. 

Dozens of pictures were taken afterward, everyone standing neatly in a row in their gowns, everyone in a haphazard group hugging each other, Lydia hugging her crying mom.  She was going to have to get new picture frames. 

After eating a quiet dinner that her grandma made, Lydia claimed a headache and headed to her room.  She had to be up early for orientation for her new summer job, but sleep was difficult to come by.  Not exactly a new phenomenon for her.

It felt like she’d only been asleep for minutes by the time her alarm went off at 5:30.  Groaning, Lydia swiped it off and swung her legs over the side of her bed, knowing that if she didn’t get up immediately, she’d fall right back asleep.  Which was kind of the opposite of what you wanted to do the first day on the job.

She put on a pot of coffee to brew while she showered.  Drying her hair was a process, but there was no way it would be airdry by the time she made it to work.  Lydia put a few loose waves in her hair and applied her makeup with the same precision she’d used since she started middle school. 

The dress code at the department store was business casual, so Lydia slipped into a pretty floral print dress and grabbed a sweater because she knew how they liked to blast the air. 

The parking lot was nearly empty when Lydia pulled in, parking off to the side like she’d been instructed.  It was likely that only the manager and maybe a supervisor or two were even there that early. 

Lydia had this thing about needing to be everywhere well in advance, quelled only by arriving anywhere with enough time to use the restroom and maybe read a few pages in her book before things got started.  It didn’t matter if it was for class, doctor’s appointments, hangouts with friends which were always pretty lax.  It was compulsory.

She waited in her car for a few minutes, checking on her appearance in the mirror and organizing her purse, before she felt that she was early enough to be considered punctual but not too early to be considered weird. 

The lights inside the store were dim when she approached, the store still a few hours away from opening.  The door was locked when she tried it, so Lydia made a point of checking that the sound was off on her phone while she waited.

After a few minutes, someone pushed the door open, startling Lydia and making her take a step back. 

“Sorry about that!” the woman said, holding the door open so Lydia could step inside.  “Didn’t mean to scare you!”

“It’s alright,” Lydia replied, smiling.  She didn’t recognize this woman from her interview. 

The woman smiled back awkwardly for a moment before motioning for Lydia to follow her.  Lydia suspected that she was in management, but hadn’t been long enough for her to feel comfortable telling people what to do. 

“Right this way.  I’ll show you where you’ll be having orientation.  I’m Linda, by the way.  And you are?”

“Lydia Martin.”

“Ah, so you’re our recent high school grad then?”

Lydia nodded before realizing the woman still had her back to her.  “Yes.”

“Great!”  The woman, Linda, actually clapped her hands in excitement.  Lydia didn’t think she’d seen anyone do that since she was in kindergarten.  “We have another girl that you’ll meet shortly that just graduated too, from another school.  And the rest of the new people are college kids home for the summer. 

Linda talked a little more as she led Lydia back to the conference room where orientation was held, but Lydia wasn’t listening too closely.  Instead, she looked around the store, thinking about how much time she used to spend in here.  That was before though, before her dad left.  Until her interview, she hadn’t been back since, and now she would be spending several days here a week, trying not to think about the past too much.

Lydia thanked Linda and took a seat at the table.  She was quickly checking her email on her phone when Lydia heard a sharp intake of breath from the doorway.  Looking up, Lydia saw her, the girl from the party.  Tall, pale, and startled. 

“H-hi,” the girl said, stepping into the room before stopping.  She seemed unsure of herself, which Lydia supposed made sense considering the last time they saw each other, Lydia’s face was buried between her legs. 

“You should probably sit down,” Lydia said, smirking a little at the development.  Maybe this summer was going to be a bit more interesting than she’d originally thought. 

The girl took the seat across the table from Lydia.  She still looked a little shy, a little weary, which made Lydia happy.  Maybe they knew each other in the biblical sense, but they didn’t _know_ each other at all.  Not even names. 

“Look, about Friday,” the girl began before Lydia raised her palm, hushing her. 

“Later,” she said as guy walked into the room, followed by a woman.  She hoped the girl wasn’t too offended.  She didn’t look it as she nodded and turned her attention to the head of the table. 

Tricia, who’d conducted Lydia’s interview, greeted everyone as she walked into the room, trailed by Linda.  They introduced themselves and began an around the table introduction. 

When it came to the girl’s turn, she smiled and gave a cute little wave.  “I’m Allison Argent.”

Well, now at least Lydia knew her name. 

*

They didn’t get the chance to talk until later.  Allison caught up to Lydia on her way to the parking lot.  “Would you like to go get coffee?  So we can, y’know, talk about Friday?  Since we’ll be working together this summer.”

“Of course.” 

They agreed to meet up at the coffee shop.  Lydia just hoped none of her friends were there because she so did not need them sidelining this conversation.  Especially since Allison was cute and smelled nice and had made Lydia come like no one else ever had.  She’d be perfect to hang out with until she went away to college in the fall.

Luck was on Lydia’s side she noted as she and Allison walked into the shop.  There were two other customers and neither of them were people Lydia even knew.  Lydia got a plain coffee and Allison got a mocha and they took seats in the far corner. 

The lapsed into a silence as they sipped their drinks.  Lydia watched Allison squirm a little, which she didn’t want, but she was at a loss of what to say herself.  She was getting ready to make a comment about work, when Allison said, “Look, I’m sorry that I ran out of there like that.”

Lydia can remember the feeling of whiplash she’d experienced, but she can’t blame Allison for running.  “It’s okay,” she said, meaning it. 

Allison gave her a wry smile.  “Thanks for saying that.  I felt like such an ass afterward.  And my friend implied that maybe I was a little rude to you.”

Smiling down into her coffee, Lydia replied, “You talked about me to your friend?”

Allison smirked at her.  “What, you didn’t tell any of your friends about me?”

“Not on purpose!” Lydia said.  “Malia, one of the girls that, ah, walked in on us, has a big mouth.”

“Oh, I know she does!” Allison said, still smiling.

Lydia frowned.  “Wait, you know-”

“Lydia!”

Looking up, Lydia watched at practically her entire friendgroup poured into the coffee shop, Stiles leading the pack.  Internally, she groaned.  Allison looked a little overwhelmed.

They all walked over to the two girls, throwing themselves down into the closest chairs.  Scott stood next to Allison, smiling down at her.  “I see you two have met!” he said happily.

“So you know…everyone?” Lydia asked Allison.

“Um, basically?”

“You didn’t know Allison?” Stiles asked her.  “Scott and Allison used to date.”

And finally, things began fitting into place.  Scott’s mystery girlfriend who became his mystery ex, the friend coming to visit, Allison being at a party where she probably wouldn’t otherwise know anyone. 

Lydia was overwhelmed. 

“Honestly, I always thought you kind of made her up,” Lydia joked. 

Scott laughed, because he knew her.  “Not exactly,” he said, taking a seat between Lydia and Allison. 

“The breakup was mutual and we stayed friends,” Allison said. 

Lydia could distinctly recall the way Scott moped at the start of junior year even before they’d become friends, but didn’t say anything.  He seemed to be over it now at least.  Still, Lydia didn’t want to make waves with one of her best friends.  But Scott was glancing between them, like he’d pieced it together, and he was smiling.  So maybe it was okay. 

“I have family here that I used to visit in the summers and my parents and I just moved here since I was finally done with high school.  They didn’t want to uproot me during the school year. So here we are now.”

Lydia nodded, still feeling a bit uneasy about the situation.  Allison was Scott’s ex-girlfriend and yeah, he seemed over her, but Lydia’s sure that if she’d known, she wouldn’t have even considered doing what she’d done.  Then again, she thought to herself as she stared at Allison’s wide smile, she probably would have.  She kind of wanted to again.

They all hung around at the shop for a few more hours, Lydia confidant she’d handed the cashier about half of her day’s wages.  The smile on Allison’s face was totally worth it when Lydia surprised her with another mocha. 

She was able to piece together a few more things about her too, like that she was an expert archer and would be going to school in the fall down in San Diego.  Lydia couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled so much.

*

Working retail lived up to every horror story Lydia had ever heard about it, and then some.  Customers were rude, condescending, and she needed more than one hand to count the number of times she’d been yelled at her first week on the job.  Obviously, there were people who were kind and thankful for Lydia’s assistance, but they sadly were dwarfed by those that bickered with Lydia over store policies that she had no control over. 

The one small bright side was that, Lydia was beginning to find out more and more, Allison was genuinely awesome.  She was just enough wide smiles and encouraging arm shrugs and muttered complaints about rude customers under her breath that Lydia was finding herself liking her more quickly than she ever had anyone else before.  And not just because they slept together either, which they didn’t really talk about, but as friends. 

It was a little awkward being around Allison the first few shifts after training ended.  Lydia was often at a loss of what to say and Allison seemed to be holding back.  They made small talk, but they didn’t really talk about themselves very often. 

That changed when Allison showed up to work one day about a week later, biting her lip and holding out a container that she thrust in Lydia’s direction when Lydia stepped into the locker room. 

“This is for you,” Allison said, releasing her lip and smiling.  “I asked Scott what you liked, and well, he said peanut butter cookies were your favorite.”

Lydia was at a loss what to say.  “You made these for me?” she asked, stunned.  Allison nodded.  “Wow, thank you, Allison.” 

Allison smiled at her in that way she had the night they met, wide and open, and Lydia felt this weird _pang_ she’d only ever really gotten with Erica when they first started fooling around. 

Allison took a small step forward and said, “I hope that you like them.”

“I’m sure I will.”  Lydia tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and felt that _pang_ again. 

*

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen _Star Trek_!” Allison said.  She picked a shirt up off the floor and put it back on its hanger, her face incredulous. 

“Can’t say that I have,” Lydia murmured, working nearby on a table of folded t-shirts that got trashed during the weekend sale. 

“There are five tv shows and like a dozen movies and you’re telling me you’ve never seen any of them?  Not even once?”

Lydia laughed.  “It just never interested me,” she admitted.

Allison was adamant, Lydia a little worried their manager would come by and admonish them.  “But you love science! I haven’t even known you that long and I know you love science.”

Lydia rolled her eyes.  “Not science fiction though.  I’ve never really liked it.”

“Well that certainly has to change,” Allison replied.  “You have to watch it.”

“Why?” Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because!”

“Great answer,” Lydia said with a grin.  “I’m trying to keep my summer simple and fun.”

A weird look passed on Allison’s face before she said, “Star Trek _is_ fun.”

“Fine,” Lydia huffed before slyly adding, “but only if you’ll watch with me.”

The smile that spread across Allison’s face was enough to make Lydia wince in dread. “It just so happens I own the dvds.”

“For five tv shows and a dozen movies?” Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m a big fan.”

“No,” Lydia mocked, “I couldn’t tell at all.”

That’s how Lydia found herself at Allison’s house that weekend, binging the original series.  She found herself liking it despite herself and her staunch dislike of science fiction.  Maybe it was just the company though.  By the time they made it through the entire first show and on to _Next Generation_ , Lydia was barely paying attention any longer. 

Sure, Lydia loves her group of friends, but it had taken time, considerable time in the case of a few of them, for Lydia to learn to appreciate them.  With Allison, it hadn’t taken any time at all. Lydia felt that she probably should have worried about that more than she actually did.  It wasn’t often that she let people get close to her, and never without considerable time and evaluation.  But Allison had a way about her, something that made Lydia want to be close to her in whatever capacity she could. 

*

“I never see you anymore.”

Cora lets her statement hang, lets Lydia feel its weight.  Lydia knows exactly what Cora’s talking about, but she wishes they weren’t about to have this conversation. 

“That’s not true,” Lydia replies, “not entirely.”

Cora, predictably, rolls her eyes.  “You know exactly what I mean.”

Smirking, Lydia says, “I do.”

As if to drive the point home, Cora says, “You’re always hanging out with Allison now.”

Lydia doesn’t respond, instead stares down into her coffee mug.  She knows Cora will just keep talking eventually, getting to her point.

She does.  “What’s going on there?”

“We’re friends.”

“Uh huh, I know.  But you like her.”  Cora is smirking now.  Just a little.

“You seem to have it all figured out,” Lydia says, her mouth drawn tight. 

Cora sighs.  “Oh Lydia.” 

“What?”

“Oh Lydia,” she repeats.

*

Retail was boring, but the summer passed by at an alarming rate.  By the end of June, Lydia and Allison had made it through _Next Generation_ and were halfway into _Deep Space Nine_.  Lydia didn’t like it quite as much as _Next Gen_ , but it had the spirit of the show and made her smile at times, especially when Worf finally cane onto the show. 

Some nights Allison couldn’t hang out with Lydia because of her parents, so they both put on Netflix and watched episodes together, texting the entire time.  It wasn’t quite as much fun, but wat’s better than no Allison. 

They hung out at the coffee shop a lot too with Lydia’s friends, Allison fitting in like she’d always belonged.  And in a way, she had.

*

They were both working at night after the store closed, clearing out fitting rooms after a big sale.  The manager didn’t want it left for the morning, wanted the store nice and clean for at least a little while after opening, so Lydia volunteered stay until they finished up.  Allison did too after she saw that Lydia was.

“I can’t complain about having a little extra pocket money once college starts.  It might take a few weeks to find a job,” Allison had told their supervisor amiably. 

Their coworkers moved on to another fitting room, leaving Lydia and Allison alone.  They were in the largest fitting room, putting clothes back on hangers, chatting back and forth like they do. 

Eventually, Allison paused and gave her a funny look before breaking eye contact, looking embarrassed. 

“What’s wrong?” Lydia asked.

Allison’s frown deepened.  “It’s nothing.  Really.”

“I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.  But I’m willing to listen if you are,” Lydia said.  She tried to sound casual, like it wasn’t a big deal.  And for all she knew, it might not be. 

Looking back up at her again, Allison gave Lydia this look that made her breath catch, made her just want in the way she’d been trying hard to ignore.  Allison set the shirt she’d been working on down on the bench and stepped a little closer. 

“Its just that, um,” Allison began.  Lydia took a step closer too.  “Sometimes, I just really want to kiss you, Lydia.  So badly.”

Lydia’s voice was breathy as she said, “Then you should.”

Then Allison was, lips pressed gently to Lydia’s, hand wound through Lydia’s hair, tilting Lydia’s head up.  It was wonderful.  It was everything Lydia’d been daydreaming about for the last several weeks. 

They heard a coworker walk by the entrance to the fitting room and jumped apart from each other, quickly turning back to the clothes. 

Lydia’s heart was still pounding when she glanced at Allison and said, “I like you a lot.”

Allison let out a breath and said, “Oh, thank god it’s not just me.” 

Laughing, Lydia replied, “Definitely not.”

*

Their first official date was that Thursday evening.  Lydia didn’t have to work that day, instead spending the afternoon mildly panicking over what to wear, what to say.  Yes, she felt that she knew Allison pretty well by now, but a date was different.  A date was formal.  Lydia could handle casual but the last time she had any sort of formal relationship, she’d had her heart broken.  Jackson had just gone without word and it was how she’d found herself vulnerable enough to accept Scott and Stiles’ invitation to eat lunch with them.  Before, Lydia probably would have said no, might have scoffed.  She was glad, though, that she didn’t. 

Allison picked her up at seven, Lydia’s mom smiling and giving her a thumbs up on her way out the door.  Erica had shown up earlier in the evening with a case of makeup and hair products.  Lydia didn’t even know how she found out about the date when Lydia hadn’t mentioned it to anyone, too nervous to even say anything out loud, but she was grateful for the help when she realized how bad her hands were shaking.

Allison smiled at Lydia when she opened the door.  She looked beautiful with her hair wavy down her back, but then again, Lydia thought she always did.  The date wasn’t nearly as awkward as Lydia made it out to be in her mind once they get to the restaurant and fell into their usual comradery.  They split the check down the middle and went for ice cream afterward.  When Allison dropped her off at the end of the night, they kissed again.  It was the best date Lydia has ever been on. 

Entering a relationship with Allison was easy.  It helped that, other than the day they met, they started out as friends.  Allison was attentive and asked Lydia the questions Jackson never even thought to ask.  They continued to hang out at the coffee shop as a couple and Lydia felt a little guilty until she saw the way Scott smiled at them, like he was happy for them.  (It was enough to ease Lydia’s conscious at least).  They flirted on their breaks and as they pass by each other at work. 

Using their employee discount, they both shopped for things they needed for their dorm rooms, like towels and dishes.  Lydia didn’t miss the sad, distant look Allison got when she thought Lydia wasn’t looking. 

Later, they made it through the end of _Voyager_ and Lydia thought she could actually feel the minutes slipping by.  Her stomach clenched.

*

“I have to tell you,” Allison began, settling down next to Lydia on the couch, “that a lot of people dislike _Enterprise_.  It’s probably the least popular series.”

Lydia didn’t much care about what other people thought though.  “But do you like it?” she asked, giving Allison’s hand a small squeeze.

“I do,” she admitted, a shy smile on her face.  “I love some of the characters on the show.  Some not quite so much.”

Fifteen minutes into the show, Lydia was frowning.  “I see what you mean.  The captain is annoying.”

Allison laughed.  “Yeah, he really is.”

By the third episode, Lydia wanted cry because of the theme song.  “It’s just so annoying!” she said.  She could feel Allison laughing, hugging her closer.

“I know it is.  I just wanted to see how many episodes it would take for you to crack.”

“Not very long apparently.”

Two episodes later, Lydia sighed.  “I think I ship Trip and T’Pol.”

“You have good taste them,” Allison said before she kissed Lydia’s neck and Lydia stopped paying much attention to the show.

*

Midway through August was Danny’s end of the summer party.  Basically a last hoorah before some of their graduating class went off to college, some left for basic training, and some sucked it up and joined the work force. 

Over the past week, Allison had been distant.  Not pulling away exactly, but not quite as engaged as she’d been just days before.  They’d never talked about what would become of them once they both went away to college, a couple hundred miles in between them.  Lydia was beginning to think about what a huge mistake that was. 

Lydia accepted the drink Allison made for her and lead her to the pool house behind Danny’s house.  “I just want to be alone with you,” she said.  “We don’t have much time left for that.”

Allison nodded, stepping close to her and grabbing Lydia’s hips.  She kissed Lydia slow, like she was trying to make it last.  Lydia knew something was wrong, that something was about to happen, but she went along with it, blinking back the tears she didn’t want Allison to see. 

Afterward, Lydia allowed herself to be held for only a few moments before she sat up and pulled her dress back on.

“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” she asked, facing away from Allison.

Allison breathed in sharply.  “I don’t want to,” she admitted.  Lydia believed her, she really did.  It didn’t make her feel any better though.

“It’s just that, with both of us going away to college, I don’t want-”

“I understand,” Lydia said.  She turned around and gave Allison a small smile. 

Face somber, Allison gently touched the side of Lydia’s face and said, “I never wanted to break up with you.  I just think that it will be easier.  In the long run.”

They she walked out the door of Danny’s pool house for a second time.  Lydia let her.

*

College started.  Lydia’s mom helped her move into her dorm, working hard to hide her tears from her daughter.  It made Lydia want to cry too.  She’d been feeling like that a lot lately.

Her roommate was nice, but they didn’t have much in common.  School kept Lydia busy enough that she didn’t have much time to do anything but her homework and send a few texts to her friends here and there.  And they actually had to schedule skype dates with each other or they’d never catch each other.  She found a coffee shop that kept her pleasantly buzzed on caffeine, but it wasn’t anything like the one she frequented back in Beacon Hills.

Still, Lydia was lonely.  Lonely enough that she found herself flipping through Netflix and found herself clicking on _Enterprise_.  She made it through about three minutes of the next episode before she found herself sobbing harder than she had since her dad left. 

Her crying was winding down when she saw a skype call coming in.  She’d forgotten all about her skype date with Scott.  She thought about ignoring it, at least while she still felt so vulnerable, but Scott was often someone that made her feel better. 

“Hello?” she said, trying to keep from sniffling.

The smile on Scott’s face disappeared.  “Lydia, are you okay?” he asked, leaning forward like he could comfort her with a touch to the shoulder like he would at home.

Lydia wanted to lie, wanted to say that she was wonderful, fantastic, but she’d been lying to herself since Allison broke up with her.  She didn’t want to anymore.

She shook her head.  “I miss her.”

Scott’s face softened.  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but she misses you too.”

Hearing that didn’t really make her feel better, though it was kind of nice to know.

“How did you get over her?” Lydia asked.

Laughing, Scott said, “A lot of wallowing.  And Stiles and Isaac helped.”

“I’m sure they did,” Lydia said, smiling despite herself.

It was cute the way Scott blushed.  “I won’t lie, it was hard.  But we were never right for each other.  Not like the two of you are.”

“Were,” Lydia mumbled. 

“Maybe.”  Scott shrugged.  “I’ve known her for a few years now, and I’ve never seen her as happy as when she was with you.”

“Why did she break up with me then?” Lydia wanted to slap herself as soon as her self-pity slipped out.

“I can’t answer that for sure.  But Allison gets scared sometimes, just like the rest of us.  Maybe she thought the two of you going to school so far away would be too hard.  She probably didn’t want you to grow apart.  Easier to just end a summer fling before it got to that point.”

“No one ever gives you enough credit,” Lydia said.  “You’re surprisingly insightful.”

“I know,” Scott said, grinning.  “Maybe you should just talk to her, let her know how you feel.  Maybe she didn’t think you would care quite so much.”

*

It took Lydia three days before she’d come to a decision.  Hours spent agonizing over what to do, what to say, before she decided to pack a bag and drive the several hours to Allison’s campus.  She didn’t have class again until Monday and had minimal homework. 

She had to sneak into Allison’s dorm under the pretense of leaving her keycard in her room.  A sheepish smile and shrug was enough to con a cute girl into letting her inside.  Scott had texted her Allison’s building and room number after they’d hung up with each other. 

_For whatever you decide :)_

Lydia spent several minutes muttering to herself before finally just knocking on Allison’s door.  A pretty blonde opened it a moment later, bookbag slung across her back.  For a wild second, Lydia’s heart clenched, positive she was too late. 

“I’m here to see Allison,” she said, voice wobbling in a way she rarely let it.

“You’re Lydia, aren’t you?” she asked.  Lydia, surprised, nodded.  The girl nodded to herself and then introduced herself as Allison’s roommate.  “She’s not here right now, but she’ll probably be back soon.  I have to head to class now, but you can wait inside if you like.”

Shut inside Allison’s room, Lydia looked around.  It was easy to tell which side of the room belonged to Allison.  The case to her bow stuck out from under the bed a few inches and a cork board of photographs was above her bed.  Lydia saw herself in several of the pictures, arm slung around Allison’s waist.  In one, they’re kissing, laughing into each other’s mouths while Isaac surprised them with the camera. 

Lydia barely had time to glance at the rest of the photographs before the door swung open, banging against the wall.  Whipping around, Lydia took in the sight Allison standing there, paler than usual, breathing hard.

“My roommate said you were here,” she said quickly.  “To see me.”

“I’m sorry I just showed up.”

Allison swallowed.  “It’s…yeah, it’s okay.”

“You sure?” Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Allison nodded, curls bobbing with the effort.  “I knew I’d miss you.  And I did.  Just didn’t realize how much until right now though.”

“I’ve missed you too.  I’ve missed talking to you.”

“Scott told you to come here, didn’t he?” Allison asked.

Lydia shrugged.  “He didn’t exactly tell me too.  I think he just wanted me to know you might be receptive to it.”  After hesitating a moment, Lydia asked, “Are you?”

Taking a step forward before Allison could even answer, Lydia said, “I tried to watch the rest of _Enterprise_ without you.  I wanted to see how it ends.  I wanted to know if T’Pol and Trip end up together.”

“It has a sad ending,” Allison replied quietly. 

Lydia’s stomach churned.  “We never had to though.”

Allison released a shaky breath and said, “I didn’t want to break up with you.”

“I get that now.”

“I just didn’t want being together to become a burden.”

“Well, we were friends first, right?  After we slept together the first time that is.”

Laughing, Allison nodded.  Lydia missed her laugh.  “Yeah, we were friends first.  Second.  Girlfriends third.”

Lydia took another step forward, watched as Allison did the same.  “We could check in with each other, talk about how we feel.  We’ll have breaks and some weekends that we could visit each other.  It doesn’t have to be a burden.”

Allison reached out, taking Lydia’s hand and grasping it between her own.  “I’ve missed you.  I love you.”

And then they were kissing, touching each other like time hadn’t passed, hearts hadn’t been broken.  They’d have to put a lot of effort into their relationship, they both knew that.  They were ready for it. 

Later, as they laid twined together with Allison’s laptop propped open in front of them, Allison’s hands ran from Lydia stomach to lower.  Her breath caught. 

“Pretty sure the Prime Directive is supposed to ensure a hands off approach,” she said, even as she gasped.

“I can’t believe what a nerd you’ve become,” Allison said, laughing.

“You love it.”  Lydia smirked, flipping Allison over onto her back.

Allison’s face went soft.  “Yeah,” she said, “I really do.” 


End file.
